Tranquillity and Excellence In Education
With the largest college campus in the world (28,000 acres) in a tranquil "walden pond" like setting, Berry College is an educational jewel no longer in the rough.
Where else can a student roam 100's of acres of woods and watch deer casually playing in the open fields or along side the roads without fear of danger? Berry is truly unique.
Martha Berry, who created this educational institution to serve rural mountain children, had a vision that did not die when she did. Now, all students are accepted and they come from all over the world.
The Campus Is Full Of Natural Beauty
As you ride through the Berry College Campus, sometimes you feel as if there are as many deer as there are students. (Actually, there might be). This photo was taken on what is known as the Mountain Campus as I rode around in September of 2008. Wherever you go you will find the deer. They are not afraid of humans since there is almost a hundred years of protection preceding them. Berry College campus is truly unique!The following slide show is of photos which were taken by the author of this lens on a recent trip (September, 2008) to Berry College. They provide numerous representative photos of the campus
Old Mill Water Wheel
One of the most photographed sites on the Berry College campus is the waterwheel found in the back part of their Mountain Campus. In 1930 this waterwheel was built and used to produce corn meal for the use of the student population. Under the supervision of a miller, Berry's students put into practice the work philosophy of Martha Berry by running this mill for the benefit of the school.The metal hub was donated to the school by The Republic Mining and Manufacturing Company. This was all that needed to be donated; for true to the work philosophy of the school, the students built the rest of the waterwheel. It is not in use now, but during its active years, this 42 foot diameter waterwheel was one of the largest overshot waterwheels in the United States.
It was operated with water from Berry's reservoir and used gravity to activate the wheel. It is truly a testament to Martha Berry's foresight and work ethic.
Toward the end of this lens, I am including a slide show of the waterwheel taken from different angles and the area immediately around it.
Martha Berry
A Life of Dedication and Philanthropy!
Oak Hill Plantation Home
Martha Berry's family plantation home is still apart of the Berry College campus. This residence, along with its gardens, is a favorite of photographers. Even part of the "Sweet Home Alabama" movie was filmed here. It was here that Martha lived with her parents, and after their death continued to live here.
A Life Of Dedication
Martha Berry chose to never marry, instead dedicating her life to the education of the poor mountain children for whom she had such great educational goals.Not only was her life exemplary in its philanthropic orientation, but her dedication inspired multiple donations from well known industrialists such as Henry Ford. There is now a whole complex of amazing buildings called the Ford buildings.
One of the stories I heard growing up in Rome, Georgia was that Henry Ford gave Martha Berry a minimal donation and said that he would give more if she could show good stewardship of that donation.
She chose to use the money to buy seeds for planting a crop, and as everyone knows the multiplication power of a few seeds can be tremendous. The story goes that he was so impressed by her feat that he decided to give a major donation resulting in the Ford Center buildings. Whether the story is true or not is not as important as the fact that she was able to impress others to share her dreams.
She went from one educational endeavor to another. She started with her Boy's Industrial School in 1902. This was an outgrowth of her teaching Bible lessons to local mountain children. She took land given to her by her father and began the school.
She quickly expanded by adding the Martha Berry School for Girls in 1909, and followed up in 1926 by establishing the Berry Junior College. Many of the events illustrative of her life's work can be seen by using the link in the next section to view the pictorial history of The Berry Schools.
Ford Center Buildings
As stated above, whether the story of how Henry Ford came to donate the money is true or not, he did give the school the money that resulted in the incredibly beautiful Ford Buildings. Even more important is the fact that Martha Berry was able to impress him to share her dreams.Following this photo I am setting up a slide show from my Flickr collection which gives additional views of the Ford Buildings.
Swan Lake
College and romance often go hand in hand. And hand in hand is what you often see as couples go for an afternoon walk around Swan Lake.But, watch out for the swans and especially the geese. The swans generally stay on the lake and avoid people but the geese can be quite unfriendly at times. Don't try feeding them with your hands!
View Some Of Berry's History!
Historical Precedents To Berry College
Martha Berry instituted a series of educational programs to serve the poor mountain children years prior to Berry College becoming the four year Liberal Arts College that it is today. They have collectively been called The Berry Schools.For a more comprehensive summary of Berry's history, go to the article of Berry College in the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Berry is situated on the outskirts of Rome, Georgia and has been an important part of its history since 1902.
The first was the Boys Industrial School, which opened its doors on January 13,1902 with five boys. Before the year was out the number had grown to 30.
The Martha Berry School for Girls opens with 14 girls on Thanksgiving Day of 1909. It closed its doors in 1955.
Then in 1926, Berry Junior College is established.
By 1956, with educational emphases changing nationwide, it was decided that the future of Berry lay in further development of its College program. The next year, the received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and since that time, university level education has been emphasized.
The Original Cabin
This cabin was the original cabin used by Martha Berry as she started her Sunday School classes for local urchins from nearby Lavendar Mountain. It was from classes held in this cabin that the school eventually grew to encompass over 28,000 acres.The cabin was built by Martha Berry's father just after the Civil War for Martha and her brothers. It wasn't long until the playhouse became a school house and the rest is history. She quickly outgrew the cabin but never forgot the significance of it. She even included it in the schools Seal.
It was later moved from "Possum Trot" (now a location on campus) to its present location close to the gift shop on the plantation lands of Oak Hill.
Inside The Original Cabin
The furnishing of the cabin were quite austere when compared with the later life Miss Berry had in her plantation mansion. She was never poor but was always cognizant of those who were.A Pictorial History Of Berry Academy
"From The Unofficial Site For Graduates Of Berry Academy"
Each of the events listed have a photo or picture depicting the event. Click on the link above and enjoy the pictorial history of these events.
- 1902.....Boys Industrial School Opens January 13 with five boys
- 1909.....The Martha Berry School for Girls opens with 14 girls on Thanksgiving Day
- 1910......President Theodore Roosevelt visits the campus and dines in what is later called the Roosevelt Cabin
- 1912......The first Mountain Day is held with a picnic on Lavendar Mountain
- 1916.....The "Pine Lodge" is the first building constructed on the "Academy" site
- 1921.....Mr. & Mrs. Henry Ford visit The Berry Schools
- 1923.....Mrs. Emily Vanderbilt Hammond visits the school
- 1925.....U.S. President Calvin Coolidge presents the Roosevelt Memoriad Association Medal of Honor to Martha Berry
- 1926.....Berry Junior College is established
- 1930.....The Old Mill is built on the Academy campus
- 1931.....Martha Berry named "One of America's Twelve Greatest Women" by Good Housekeeping Magazine readers.
- 1932.....Berry Colleges graduates its first class as a four year school
- 1933.....Martha Berry visits U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevel in Warm Springs, GA
- 1937.....Frost Chapel is completed
- 1937.....The Normandy Dairy complex construction was completed
- 1942.....Martha Berry dies February 27th at St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta
- 1956.....Dr. John R. Bertrand becomes Berry's fifth president
- 1964.....Mount Berry School for Boys is renamed Berry Academy
- 1979.....Dr. Bertrand retires and is replaced by Gloria M. Shatto.
- 1984.....Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A Restaurants, established the WinsShape Centre at the former Berry Academy campus.
Other Lenses On The Rome, Georgia Area
"Berry College has been an integral part of Rome, Georgia and the surrounding area since its inception in 1902. This featured lens gives details about the history of Rome, Georgia from its Native American roots to the present, and provides links to local college educational facilities (Berry College included), the local school systems, hospitals, and some of its local attractions. It is a good informational supplement to this lens."-
Lensography of Anthropos' Lenses
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When I began my first lens on May 28, 2008, I never expected to have over thirty lenses done prior to three months going by. On August 18, 2008, when I first published this lensography, I had 32 completed lenses, and five more in progress [See Lates...
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Rome, Georgia: Georgia's City of Seven Hills
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Named by drawing a name out of a hat, this small North Georgia town (Rome, Georgia, USA), has a history much bigger than its size. It's name could have been Pittsburg, Hamburg, Hillsboro, or Warsaw but Colonel Mitchell's name of Rome was pulled out o...
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Coosa Chiefdoms|Head Of Coosa|Cherokees|Rome Georgia
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The Coosa River (and the valley it formed), was born in Rome, Georgia by the converging of the Oostanaula and Etowah Rivers. The Coosa Valley had been a dwelling area for Native Americans for millennia before Hernando de Soto, and his men discovered...
Back View Of Frost Chapel On The Berry College Mountain Campus
Berry College Videos
Mountain Day
Mountain Day 2007 at Berry College. This was our 5 year reunion in addition to being my first Mt. Day since graduation. The utter lack of diversity is startling after a few years back in Atlanta. Notice at the end, there's row after row of all girls in pink holding hands. It's supposed to be guy-girl-guy-girl but there's never enough guys.
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curated content from YouTube
For the Cherokee bead artist, see Martha Berry (artist)
Martha McChesney Berry (7 October, 1865 - 27 February, 1942) was an United States educator and the founder of Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
Video Montage of Berry College Scenes
More Informational Sources On Berry College
Miracle in the Mountains, inspiring story of Martha Berry's crusade for the mountain people of the South
Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009) 
MIRACLE IN THE MOUNTAINS
Hardcover, cloth-covered boards in pictorial dustjacket. The inspiring story of Martha Berry's crusade for the mountain people of the South.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
Berry College: A History
Appalachian Journal, Spring/Summer 2006
"The book offers a detailed narrative of the rise and progress of an important educational institution . . . serving in Appalachia."
McCormick Messenger, November 10, 2005
"Ouida Dickey and Doyle Mathis separate myth from fact as they address Berry's traditions, controversies, and triumphs."
Amazon Price: $39.95 (as of 12/05/2009)
Martha Berry: Sketches of her schools and college
Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)
The Viking Tradition: 100 Years of Sports at Berry College (GA) (College History Series)
In 1902, Martha Berry founded the Industrial School for Boys to educate the children of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, and in 1909 the school admitted women. The institution grew from a mountain industrial school to a two-year college in its first twenty-four years, became a four-year college in 1930, and has since become one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the South. ÝÝThis volume portrays, in word and image, the role of sports at Berry College throughout its 100-year history. Situating athletics within the social and cultural life of the college, the book includes both intramural and intercollegiate sport, and traces the evolution of the Viking tradition as it both parallels and reflects the development of sport in the United States
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
A Slideshow Of The Old Mill & It's Waterwheel
News Items on Berry College
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- SemperFidelis SemperFidelis Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:13 pm
- Wonderful lens. I love all the images you've included.
Blessed by a SquidAngel today!
www.squidoo.com/squid-angel
~ Colleen :o)
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- Alice Syman Alice Syman Apr 18, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
- My mother attended Berry School in 1922-23. She lived in Cedartown, GA. She got measles and had to go home. She didn't return, had to help her father in his business, drive the car for him. When she wa about 76 years old I asked the school for a transcript of er grades. They sent her one. She said she won $25.00 (a whopping amount those days!) for being the most industrious student of the year. She had never told us this before.
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- Ami O'Neill Ami O'Neill Apr 10, 2009 @ 1:39 am
- I was born in Rome, Georgia, spent a great deal of time visiting family there, and frequently visited the campus of Berry College. I enjoyed your this documentary. It reminds me of what a lovely place it is and draws me back for a visit. Thanks for your time and beautiful work.
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- lisadh lisadh Mar 9, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
- I've never heard of Berry College, but enjoyed your lens, particularly the photos. What a beautiful campus!
by anthropos
Hello, My name is Lamar
(better known as "anthropos" on Squidoo). I picked up that nickname when I got my Ph.D degree in Anthropology some years bac...
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